Three Palestinians were killed Wednesday in a resurgence of factional violence in Gaza, leading to fears an already fragile truce between the rival Hamas and Fatah factions would completely collapse. The latest fighting came two days after Fatah and Hamas militants carried out a series of kidnappings and engaged in gunbattles in violation of a mid-December truce between the two groups, which are vying for control of the Palestinian government. Rival gunmen poured into the streets of the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya after a 25-year-old militant from President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party was shot and killed. A woman was shot in the head and seriously wounded in the ensuing gunbattle, and 12 other people were moderately hurt, hospital and security officials said. Later in the afternoon, a group of gunmen ambushed Fatah-allied Palestinian security officers in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis, blasting their police car with bullets and ... http://www.usatoday.com

Twelve survivors from a ferry that sank off the coast of Indonesia last week have been found on an unmanned oil rig some 300km (186 miles) away. Local officials said the survivors, 11 men and a six-year-old boy, were brought ashore to the island of Java. Another six were found on an island. Some 200 people have been recovered from the sea since the disaster hit in the early hours of Saturday morning. Hundreds more remain unaccounted for, with many feared dead. According to the BBC's Jakarta correspondent, the thin stream of survivors brought ashore each day is dwindling to a trickle. The search has now widened to a radius of several hundred kilometres as strong winds and stormy seas carry victims far away from the site of the disaster, and also hamper rescuers. The rescue effort is now focused on finding those survivors who have made it to dry land on their own, but officials believe time is running out for many of those spending their fifth day out at sea. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6227093.stm

They're as much a part of the Tower of London as the Crown Jewels, ravens and suits of armor. Since 1485, the Yeoman Warders — all men — have patrolled the parapets and passages of the royal fortress on the banks of the Thames.But the Tower is about to break with tradition, with officials saying Wednesday it is in the process of hiring its first female Yeoman Warder.The warders, who wear blue and red uniforms and are the subject of countless tourist photos, are known colloquially as Beefeaters because of the rations of meat they were given during medieval times.The woman has not yet been identified, said spokeswoman Natasha Woollard.However, it is known she is currently serving in Britain's armed forces — all warders are also soldiers — and will join the fortress' 35 other warders at the end of the summer....http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-01-03-female-beefeater_x.htm?csp=34

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has made clear he dislikes being the country's leader and would prefer to leave the job before his term ends. In an extensive interview with a US newspaper, Mr Maliki said he would certainly not be seeking a second term. A compromise choice, his tenure has been plagued by factional strife within both the country and government, and rumours the US has no faith in him. "I wish I could be done with it even before the end of this term," he said. "I didn't want to take this position," he told the Wall Street Journal. "I only agreed because I thought it would serve the national interest, and I will not accept it again." Undermined Mr Maliki, a stalwart of the Shia movement which led the resistance to Saddam Hussein, was sworn in as prime minister for a four year term last May after Sunni and Kurd parties rejected the Shia alliance's first nominee. It followed four months of political deadlock. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6226953.stm

The average price of a Manhattan apartment rose to more than $1.14 million in the fourth quarter of last year, up 5 percent compared to the same period the year before, according to two new real estate reports. The median price for the apartments was $760,000, a new record, beating the figure from 2005 by 9 percent, said the reports released Wednesday. The median value is the middle price, at which half the sales are higher and half are lower. The median price is also an important indicator of a market's stability, said Greg Heym, who authored the reports for two Manhattan real estate firms, Brown Harris Stevens and Halstead Property. Heym is the chief economist for Terra Holdings, which owns both firms. Heym, who also serves on the city's Economic Advisory Panel, said Manhattan is experiencing a more balanced market, meaning that price increases have become more sustainable - unlike in 2004, when double-digit gains were common. ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/03/business/main2324899.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._2324899

Many adults in Iraq believe the coalition effort has been negative, according to a poll by the Iraq Centre for Research and Strategic Studies and the Gulf Research Center. 90 per cent of respondents think the situation in their country was better before the U.S.-led invasion. The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein’s regime was launched in March 2003. At least 3,000 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 22,500 troops have been wounded in action. There has been no official inquiry on the actual number of Iraqi casualties. A volunteer group of British and U.S. academics and researchers—known as Iraq Body Count (IBC)—estimates that more than 52,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed during the military intervention. In December 2005, Iraqi voters renewed their National Assembly. ...http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/index.cfm/fuseaction/viewItem/itemID/14282